State of
Mobile
Commerce.
United States: H1 2016
Preface
Criteo released the first State of Mobile Commerce Report in Q4 2014. An ongoing series, our research examines
mCommerce trends and provides marketers with insight into online shopping behavior as the consumer path to
purchase evolves. This report reveals that mobile transactions passed desktop as more retailers adopted consumerfriendly mobile sites and transaction-driving commerce apps. Originally a quarterly report, the study will now be
published semi-annually to provide more granular insights and actionable strategies.
STATE OF MOBILE COMMERCE H1 2016
Key Findings
A tipping point: For the first time, the leading 25% of mobile retailers saw 50%
of their sales from mobile.
Top verticals pull away: Fashion brands extended their lead over other subcategories. Sporting Goods and Mass Merchant categories also showed a strong
increase of 23% and 19% year-over-year, respectively.
Apps reign: Apps remain the most efficient channel for retailers, driving a larger
percentage of shoppers down the purchase funnel and converting at 3x the rate
of mobile web.
Winners take all: In mobile commerce, it’s win or go home. Marketers with the
best mobile sites and apps take a significantly larger share of the mobile spoils.
STATE OF MOBILE COMMERCE H1 2016
1
U.S. Mobile
Commerce
Trends.
The mobile tipping point is here.
Top retailers now capture half their sales on mobile.
Retailers ranked highest by share of mobile transactions grew 30% year-over-year (YoY), crossing the 50% mark for
mobile transactions. Across all retailers, mobile share of eCommerce transactions also increased by 17% YoY.
% MOBILE SHARE OF TRANSACTIONS
Mobile Share of Retail eCommerce Transactions in the U.S
52%
30%
TOP QUARTILE
AVERAGE
YoY GROWTH
RATE
40%
35%
17%
30%
Q2 2014
STATE OF MOBILE COMMERCE H1 2016
Q2 2015
Q2 2016
Top verticals
pull away.
U.S. Mobile Share of Retail eCommerce Transactions,
by Sub-Vertical
Q2 2016
In fact, all categories but Health &
Beauty grew at least 17% YoY.
FASHION & LUXURY
MASS MERCHANTS
19%
HEALTH & BEAUTY
SPORTING GOODS
HOME
0%
STATE OF MOBILE COMMERCE H1 2016
17%
10%
20%
5%
30%
AVERAGE SHARE (Q2 2016)
Fashion & Luxury soared forward,
increasing a big lead on the field. But
in terms of growth of share, Sporting
Goods is closing fast on Health &
Beauty.
YoY GROWTH
RATE
Q2 2015
AVERAGE SHARE (Q2 2015)
Fashion & Luxury retailers pull ahead
of the pack
40%
23%
17%
50%
Tablets fade,
smartphones
soar.
Smartphones continue to dominate
U.S. retail mobile transaction share
by volume.
It’s no surprise, as tablet shipments
dropped 15% YoY in Q1 2016, from 46M
to 40M, while smartphone shipments
grew to 335M, according to the
International Data Corporation (IDC).
U.S. Retail Mobile Transaction Share,
by Device (% Total)
100%
75%
54%
70%
30%
YoY GROWTH
RATE
50%
25%
0%
Q4 2014
Q1 2015
Q2 2015
Q3 2015
Q4 2015
STATE OF MOBILE COMMERCE H1 2016
SMARTPHONE
TABLET
Q1 2016
Q2 2016
Android regains ground from iPhone.
iPhone’s smaller user base completes a greater share of mobile transactions, but the story doesn’t end there.
Today, a majority of mobile commerce transactions are still completed on iPhones. However, a 57% YoY growth in
transactions delivered by Android devices – 1.5x that of iPhones – demonstrates their ability to quickly regain ground in
mobile commerce.
U.S. Smartphone Market Share by OS*
U.S. Share of Transactions by Device
Q2 2016
iOS
ANDROID
OTHER
14.6%
31%
10.6%
38%
YoY GROWTH
RATE
68%
8.8%
Q2 2015
Q2 2016
Q2 2015
33%
iOS
ANDROID
OTHER
5.6%
62%
IPHONE
STATE OF MOBILE COMMERCE H1 2016
*April data; Kantar Worldpanel data
ANDROID
57%
YoY GROWTH
RATE
2
Global
Mobile App
Performance.
STATE OF MOBILE COMMERCE H1 2016
Apps deliver
2x the new
user retention
power.
New User Retention Rate*
2x
New app users are twice as likely
to return within 30 days vs. mobile
web users.
Higher retention means a better
chance at creating lifetime consumers.
Net new users only; includes sites that have both a mobile
website and app and over 25% of eCommerce transactions
on mobile, 5% of which are from mobile apps.
MOBILE
BROWSER
APP
*Retention defined as percentage of users returning within 30 days of first visit.
Apps deliver up to 54% of all
mobile transactions.
Savvy app retailers see up to 54% of their mobile transactions generated in-app.
Retailers whose apps offer advanced capabilities like home screen presence, instant loading, offline content,
push notifications, personalization and access to native functionality create richer consumer experiences and see
a 15% increase in transactions YoY.
Global App vs. Browser Share of Retail Mobile Transactions
Q2 2015
53%
Q2 2016
47%
STATE OF MOBILE COMMERCE H1 2016
46%
54%
MOBILE BROWSER
APP
Includes sites that have both a mobile website and app and over 25% of
eCommerce transactions on mobile, 5% of which are from mobile apps.
App conversion
rates are
unmatched.
Global Retail Mobile Conversion
Rates, by Channel
1.5x
Apps close the deal with consumers,
delivering more efficient transactions
than any other channel.
Not only do apps retain new users
better and sustain a stronger user base
of buyers, they also convert at much
higher rates than either desktops or
mobile browsers.
2x
Is there hope for mobile web?
Possibly, if Progressive Web Apps and
speedier standards for mobile sites
help conversion rates.
Includes sites that have both a mobile website and app
and over 25% of eCommerce transactions on mobile, 5% of
which are from mobile apps.
STATE OF MOBILE COMMERCE H1 2016
MOBILE
BROWSER
DESKTOP
APP
Apps score
bigger baskets.
Global Retail Mobile Average Order Value, by Channel
(Indexed versus Desktop)
$127
Desktop was once the king of pricey
purchases, but no longer.
Average order values on apps now
far surpass both mobile browser and
desktop.
Includes sites that have both a mobile website and app and over
25% of eCommerce transactions on mobile, 5% of which are from
mobile apps.
STATE OF MOBILE COMMERCE H1 2016
Q2 2016
Q2 2015
$98
$91
MOBILE
BROWSER
DESKTOP $100
$95
APP
Apps convert
3x more
product
viewers than
mobile web.
Apps still dominate at every stage
in the funnel.
App users continue to browse more
products and purchase more than on
the mobile web and desktop at every
stage in the funnel.
Conversion rate for app users, defined
as the number of product viewers that
completed a transaction, was 3x that
of mobile browsers.
Net new users only; includes sites that have both a mobile
website and app and over 25% of eCommerce transactions
on mobile, 5% of which are from mobile apps.
STATE OF MOBILE COMMERCE H1 2016
Global Retail Conversion Funnel Q2 2016
MOBILE
BROWSER
APP
PRODUCTS VIEWED
PER USER
4.6x
PRODUCTS VIEWED
PER USER
ADD-TOBASKET RATE
2.5x
ADD-TOBASKET RATE
CHECKOUT
RATE
1.2x
CHECKOUT
RATE
3x
CONVERSION RATE
3
Global
Mobile Retail
Commerce
Trends.
STATE OF MOBILE COMMERCE H1 2016
There’s no going back.
Japan and the UK have crossed the line – now selling more via mobile than through desktop.
South Korea, at 48%, is on the verge. YoY, the biggest
increases in mobile’s share of retail transactions were seen
in Brazil, Australia and France.
In addition, Germany’s strong growth helped it leapfrog
the Netherlands and Spain; Australia comes close to the
top three; and Brazil moves ahead of Russia.
Mobile Share of Retail eCommerce Transactions, by Country
JAPAN
UNITED KINGDOM
SOUTH KOREA
Q2 2016
AUSTRALIA
Q2 2015
GERMANY
NETHERLANDS
PARITY WITH DESKTOP
UNITED STATES
SPAIN
ITALY
FRANCE
BRAZIL
RUSSIA
0%
STATE OF MOBILE COMMERCE H1 2016
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Smartphones rule the world.
Smartphones achieve global dominance over tablets.
For the first quarter ever, smartphones now deliver the
majority of mobile transactions in every major market,
including the Netherlands, Russia and the UK.
Tablet shipments are waning, smartphone shipments
are rising, and new smartphone features like fingerprint
recognition continue to make smartphone transactions
virtually effortless.
Smartphone and Tablet Share of Retail eCommerce Transactions, by Country, Q2 2016
JAPAN
UNITED KINGDOM
SOUTH KOREA
AUSTRALIA
GERMANY
SMARTPHONE
NETHERLANDS
UNITED STATES
SPAIN
ITALY
TABLET
FRANCE
BRAZIL
RUSSIA
0%
STATE OF MOBILE COMMERCE H1 2016
25%
50%
75%
100%
Mobile conversion rates are highest
in Japan, the UK and South Korea
The top markets ranked by mobile’s
share of retail transactions (Japan, the
UK and South Korea) also saw the
highest conversion rates.
Global Retail Mobile Conversion Rate (vs. the U.S.) Q2 2016
JAPAN
UNITED
KINGDOM
SOUTH KOREA
AUSTRALIA
GERMANY
NETHERLANDS
UNITED STATES
U.S. CONVERSION RATE INDEX
Japan, the UK
and South
Korea are
ahead in mobile
conversions.
SPAIN
ITALY
FRANCE
BRAZIL
RUSSIA
0
50
100
150
200
250
Make mobile experiences easy –
and get ahead.
Mobile transactions increase as more retailers design mobile-friendly sites.
Countries with the highest percentage of mobile-friendly sites also see the greatest share of mobile transactions.
To get ahead, commit to improving site navigation and usability for your mobile consumer.
Share of mobile transactions vs. share of mobile-friendly sites
60%
UK
SHARE OF MOBILE SALES
50%
20%
SOUTH KOREA
AUSTRALIA
NETHERLANDS
40%
30%
JAPAN
GERMANY
US
ITALY
FRANCE
BRAZIL
RUSSIA
10%
70%
75%
80%
85%
SHARE OF MOBILE-FRIENDLY WEBSITES
STATE OF MOBILE COMMERCE H1 2016
SPAIN
90%
95%
100%
4
Mobile Maturity
Indicators.
What drives
Mobile Maturity?
On mobile devices, where time and mindshare are
limited commodities, there can only be so many
winners. So what factors distinguish the best mobile
marketers from the rest?
Criteo researchers have been working on the answer
to this question, identifying the key factors that make
up a successful mobile commerce strategy based
primarily on shopper engagement and retention, key
precursors to conversion.
STATE OF MOBILE COMMERCE H1 2016
The importance of mobile investment cannot be
overstated. When we examined revenue-indicating
metrics like mobile conversion rate across more than
2,500 mobile commerce experiences, leading mobile
marketers were leaps and bounds ahead of the lower
tiers, taking the lion’s share of the rewards. From
this new research, we developed several important
recommendations to help marketers move toward or
sustain a superior mobile commerce experience.
Introducing the Mobile
Maturity Indicators.
Two distinct mobile
commerce channels
Key metrics most indicative of
mobile shopper conversions
Weekly retention
Number of products browsed
New user retention
Number of products browsed
STATE OF MOBILE COMMERCE H1 2016
Leading retailers widen
the conversion gap from
emerging retailers
39%
CONVERSION RATE
90%
CONVERSION RATE
Consumers want a unified, consistent
and relevant experience across all
interactions.
Retailers that complete and sustain
these four stages of development
deliver mobile commerce experiences
that fully meet consumer expectations.
PROGRESSING
EMERGING
RECONNECT
PROVIDE AN EASY AND RELEVANT
WAY FOR CONSUMERS TO
RECONNECT WITH YOUR BRAND
ANTICIPATE
PREDICT CONSUMER INTEREST ACROSS
YOUR CATALOG TO HIGHLIGHT REAL-TIME
RELEVANT PRODUCT RECOMMENDATIONS
REWARD
BUILD RELATIONSHIPS AND ENCOURAGE PRODUCT
BROWSING BEHAVIOR, AND REWARD RETURNING VISITS
ACCESS
GET THE FUNDAMENTALS IN PLACE TO ENSURE A CONSISTENT,
FRICTION-FREE AND RELEVANT EXPERIENCE ON BOTH
MOBILE BROWSER AND APP
STATE OF MOBILE COMMERCE H1 2016
INCREASING MATURITY
Criteo’s
four steps
to Mobile
Maturity.
LEADING
How we
define mobile
web maturity.
Emerging
Mobile site is friendly and easy to
navigate across various mobile devices.
• Content is not wider than the screen
• Links are not too close together
• Mobile viewport is set
• Text is large enough for reading
across different screen sizes
Progressing*
Mobile site drives at least equal weekly
return visitation rates as desktop site.
Leading*
Mobile site drives more product views
than desktop site.
* Higher levels of maturity include capabilities from lower levels
Distribution of Mobile Web Retailers by Mobile Maturity
LEADING
RETURNING VISITORS
PROGRESSING
VOLUME OF RETAILERS
LOW
EMERGING
PRODUCTS VIEWED
STATE OF MOBILE COMMERCE H1 2016
Includes mobile sites that pass basic mobile web usability. Maturity determined via Criteo-tracked metrics indexed
against performance on desktop sites. Mobile friendliness determined with Google’s Mobile Friendly Test.
HIGH
Leaders in mobile
web maturity
convert 39%
more than the
back of the pack.
Mobile Web Conversion Rate by Maturity
39%
19%
Retailers that succeed at retaining users
and attracting product views drive 39%
more mobile web conversions than
Emerging retailers. Retailers on the low
end of the maturity spectrum have yet to
effectively encourage product browsing
and reward returning visits.
To survive, Emerging retailers must close this
gap. Not only does mobile web generate
nearly half of all mobile transactions
globally, major search engines (e.g., Bing,
Google) also use mobile-friendly attributes
to inform search rankings. What’s more, new
advancements have already arrived, such as
Accelerated Mobile Pages and Progressive
Web Apps.
STATE OF MOBILE COMMERCE H1 2016
16%
EMERGING
PROGRESSING
Includes mobile sites that pass basic mobile web usability. Maturity determined
via Criteo-tracked metrics indexed against performance on desktop sites.
LEADING
How we define app maturity.
Emerging
Mobile-commerce-enabled app is
accessible via at least one operating
system.
Progressing*
Mobile app retains more than half of
new users within their first 30 days.
Leading*
Mobile app attracts more products
browsed per user than lower tiers.
* Higher levels of maturity include capabilities from lower levels
LEADING
RETENTION RATE
PROGRESSING
VOLUME OF RETAILERS
LOW
EMERGING
PRODUCTS VIEWED PER USER
STATE OF MOBILE COMMERCE H1 2016
Includes sites that have both a mobile website and app and over 25% of eCommerce
transactions on mobile, 5% of which are from mobile apps.
HIGH
Leaders in
mobile app
maturity drive
90% more
conversions
than the back
of the pack.
Mobile App Conversion Rate by Maturity
90%
58%
20%
Retailer apps that maximize new user
retention and product views per user
attract 90% more conversions than
Emerging retailers.
Leading app retailers are better at
identifying user value, anticipating
individual consumer needs, highlighting
relevant catalog items and rewarding
new users for return visits.
STATE OF MOBILE COMMERCE H1 2016
EMERGING
PROGRESSING
Includes mobile retailers with both a site and app.
Maturity determined via Criteo-tracked metrics.
LEADING
Recommendations for increasing
usability conversions.
Encourage discovery
Simplify product browsing
Optimize checkout
• Show products people
can expect to find on your
homepage
• Allow users to easily view
product details by honoring
image zoom gestures
• Allow users to search within
categories
• Make the shopping cart a save
feature to allow users to easily
save and re-access products of
interest
• Make guest checkout the most
prominent option and collapse
all sign-in options (e.g., existing
account, create new account)
• Be sure carousels don’t move
too quickly, and never use them
as the only path to a landing
destination
• Use touch-optimized keyboards
for specific input types (e.g.,
numbers, email)
• Disable auto-correct in input
fields during checkout
• Display in-store pickup options
next to shipping options
STATE OF MOBILE COMMERCE H1 2016
*C
riteo partnered with Baymard in the development of these mobile usability best practices.
More information may be found at www.Baymard.com.
5
A look
ahead.
STATE OF MOBILE COMMERCE H1 2016
The Big Opportunities
As commerce evolves and retailers
are faced with increasing profitability
pressures, brand and customer
experience will become a primary
differentiator. Mobile retailers that
provide a rich and personalized
experience across all devices and
environments will continue to outpace
the industry average.
While Fashion has been leading
mobile commerce to this point, there
will be considerable opportunities for
mobile commerce growth for all retail
categories.
STATE OF MOBILE COMMERCE H1 2016
Apps will continue to be the most
efficient channel, especially for
engaging new users, until mobile web
technology advances to meet the
expectations of shoppers accustomed
to an app experience.
Globally, smartphones will become
the device of choice for commerce,
especially as network latency and
capacity improve, device capabilities
advance and more retailers design for
mobile-friendly experiences.
Mobile Commerce
Report Methodology
Individual transaction data analyzed
Over 3,300 online retail businesses
globally
1.7 billion transactions per year
across desktop and mobile sites
$720 billion in annual sales
STATE OF MOBILE COMMERCE H1 2016
How can marketers use this data?
Benchmark your performance on
relevant KPIs for your mobile browser,
mobile app and cross-device channels
Definition of metrics
Metric
Definition
Formula
Share of transactions
The percentage of transactions that occur by device,
operating system and environment during the total period.
Device transactions/total transactions
Conversion rate
The share of unique product page visitors who have made Unique buyers / unique product page visitors
a purchase within a given time period.
Products viewed per user
The average number of products viewed by each visitor
within a given time period.
Total number of products viewed/visitors
Add-to-basket rate
The share of unique product page visitors who have
added products to their basket within a given time period.
Unique add-to-basket users/ Unique product
page visitors
Checkout rate
The share of unique visitors who have finalized a
transaction after having added products to their basket.
Unique buyers/ Unique add-to-basket users
Share of mobile-friendly
websites
The share of retailer websites in a given country that meet
Google’s standards based on the Mobile Friendly Test.
All retail businesses included in this study were
tested by Google’s Mobile Friendly Test
New user retention rate
The share of new users that return within a 30-day
window.
New users returning at least once within 30
days/total unique visitors
Weekly retention rate
The share of weekly returning visitors within a 30-day
window.
For each retailer: Unique weekly visitors/unique
monthly visitors
About Criteo
Criteo (NASDAQ: CRTO) delivers personalized performance marketing at an extensive scale. Measuring return on post-click sales, Criteo
makes ROI transparent and easy to measure. Criteo has 2,000 employees in 31 offices across the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific, serving
12,000 advertisers worldwide with direct relationships with 17,000 publishers.
Criteo ads reach over 1.2 billion unique Internet users (comScore, January 2016).
This and future Mobile Commerce reports may be found at:
www.criteo.com/resources/mobile-commerce-report/
STATE OF MOBILE COMMERCE H1 2016